18-sai no Kodou

FLAVOR METER: Bittersweet, although the taste could have lingered for much, much longer on the buds. -The Story- What I really loved about the story was the fact that it took a more realistic approach towards the theme of "following your passions" through the perspective of the main characters. It showcases the compromises that someone is willing to go through to make those dreams a rose-colored reality, may it be leaving the ones you love behind or sacrificing those dreams for the sake of others. There was also the motif of "strength," which was touched on through the motivations and sense of responsibility that each of the characters developthroughout the three chapters. Of course, there was the obvious romance between the two characters - but we'll get to that issue in a minute. The pacing of the story is what killed it for me. As said in the beginning of this review, the premise deserved to be a bit longer than just three chapters. The character development would have made more sense this way, rather than having these time-skips that don't necessarily tell us anything other than, "So, this is what is happening right now. Look at this pickle we got ourselves in!" Don't get me wrong! The situations that the characters go through are tender, but to me, they needed more depth rather than a brief rundown. While the story isn't forgettable, it's not one that has a lot of "meat" in it, if that's the kind of story that you're searching for to go with a side of boiled potatoes. -Art- The art honestly wasn't that bad! Although there isn't much to say about this portion, I do have a complaint about the proportions of the characters. In some panels, Rui looks very "broad" in the shoulders. Like, body builder kind of broad. As if she was just like, "Screw the modeling career!" and got jacked on steroids. Okay, maybe a bit of an exaggeration. Actually, the same could be said for the rest of the female characters. Everything else was pretty crisp, but that was my only peeve. -Character- You can see where the characters are coming from with their motivations, but the question is - why? Why does Rui want to be a model? Why does Togou want to be a famous artist? Why did Rui's mother suddenly decide to grow a backbone after grieving the death of Rui's father? The "why" of their characters are not touched on - but this could probably be blamed on the lack of character development based on the length of the manga alone. You're never really given time to get to know the characters, let alone get emotionally attached to them to invoke feelings for them - considering the scenarios that each of them go through. This also touches on the romance aspect of the manga! All we know is their motivations, and we as the audience are spoon fed their thoughts and emotions without actually processing it for ourselves. It's not savory, to say the least. Fairly, poor. Although, I did admire the strong drive that the main characters possessed to achieve their goals! That was one of the several things I liked about the characters, because it's motivating. -Enjoyment- Despite it being short, I actually thought that it was decent! It was tender-hearted and forgiveable, and it delivered with a good ending at least! It was bland, but not terrible. Most of it was predictable, but overall, it was good enough that I felt that it needed a longer runtime. -Overall- "Just because it can be shortened, doesn't mean it should be!" The art was very good! The character development and story needed more work, but the enjoyment level was good enough. I would recommend this manga, if you're looking for a quick read to put into the database and some mild entertainment!